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• glad hand
  glad hand

  noun

  a hearty welcome or enthusiastic reception, especially one that is effusive or hypocritical.
• glad-hand
  glad-hand

  verb (used with object)

  to greet warmly.

glad hand

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. a hearty welcome or enthusiastic reception, especially one that is effusive or hypocritical.

   Visiting dignitaries were being given the glad hand.

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glad-hand ² American  

[glad-hand] / ˈglædˌhænd /

verb (used with object)

1. to greet warmly.

2. to greet in an insincerely effusive manner.

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verb (used without object)

1. to greet others with enthusiasm, especially feigned enthusiasm.

   The candidate spent weeks glad-handing around the state.

glad hand British  

noun

1. 1. a welcoming hand

   2. a welcome

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verb

1. (tr) to welcome by or as if by offering a hand

glad hand Idioms  

1. A warm and hearty but often insincere welcome or greeting, as in Politicians are apt to give the glad hand to one and all. [Slang; late 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

• glad-hander
  noun

Etymology

Origin of glad hand¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Origin of glad-hand²

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glad hand glad-hand

Soccer guided Infantino around the Zurich Hallenstadion to glad hand with delegations from FIFA’s then-207 member associations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

But for all the talk of South Carolina’s penchant for dirty tricks, the state also values the glad hand.

From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

He doesn’t swing at big checkbooks or institutions, certainly nothing solid enough to bruise the glad hand.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 30, 2015

They dither, horse trade, glad hand and posture.

From Forbes ● Jul. 11, 2013

I must say for Mr. Mallory that he stood it well, a heavy swell like him givin’ the glad hand in public to a quaint old freak like that.

From Odd Numbers Being Further Chronicles of Shorty McCabe by Ford, Sewell

As the most powerful Chinese leader in generations, Xi Jinping rarely bothers to glad-hand or to try charming a crowd.

From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

So they have jumped at the chance to glad-hand voters, kiss babies, and hobnob with activists at backyard barbecues and meetups at the chain of Pizza Ranch restaurants that have become an Iowa campaign staple.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 10, 2023

Studios fly their movies’ headlining actors to these events to attend premieres, engage in countless interviews, accept tribute awards and glad-hand anyone who might help hype their projects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2023

Milley didn't crack a smile all night, even when Biden came over to glad-hand after his speech.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2023

So Mike belonged to the long, long glad-hand line.

From How To Write Special Feature Articles A Handbook for Reporters, Correspondents and Free-Lance Writers Who Desire to Contribute to Popular Magazines and Magazine Sections of Newspapers by Bleyer, Willard Grosvenor